WOODLAND CREE HISTORY Hunters, Trappers, Scouts, Soldiers, Residential Students, Entrepreneurs
Woodland Cree History
WOODLAND CREE HISTORY Hunters, Trappers, Scouts, Soldiers, Residential Students, Entrepreneurs
I learned something of the Northern Woodland Cree from my father.
Dad had served in the Algonquin Regiment during WWII. Some of his fellow members had been Cree. “They were the best of friends — they always had your back.” They trained together, fought together from the beaches of Normandy into Holland and the Rhineland.
The stories Dad told of his Cree buddies led me into a young interest in that First Nation’s history and folkways. And a different way of looking at our national history.
To Read the Complete Post “Dad’s War, Algonquin Regiment & the Liberation of Holland” CLICK HERE!
Who were the Woodland Cree?
Woodland Cree history in Canada involves their traditional nomadic lifestyle of hunting and gathering, and their extensive interactions with European fur traders, which led to the adoption of new technologies and territorial expansion. The Cree called themselves Nehiyawak (The People or Humans).
After contact, the Canadian government confined the Nehiyawak to reserves and implemented policies like residential schools to suppress their culture.
Today, self-determination is a key focus for the Nehiyawak as they work to revitalize and maintain their distinct cultural practices and governance within their vast traditional lands.
Traditional Indigenous People Life & Pre-European Contact
Nomadic lifestyle: Before European contact, the Cree were nomadic. They followed seasonal migrations for food and living in small bands.
Resource diversity: Their diet and economy varied by region. Including bison on the Plains, a more mixed diet in forested areas, and fowl and fish in the lowlands and Canadian Shield.
Large territories: The Cree controlled the largest Indigenous territory in Canada. In summer, they travelled by birch bark canoe along countless waterways. Snowshoes and dog teams took them through the snowy North Woods. They made their canoes by bending long sheets of steamed paper birch over a wood frame. And then lashing them all together. The holes were glued shut with tree sap, or in northern Alberta, with raw bitumen from the tar sands.
Impact of European Contact
Fur trade: The arrival of Europeans, especially fur traders, significantly impacted the Nehiyawak. They served as middlemen, trading meat and furs. Trading and selling various trail necessities from dogs to toboggans and canoes.
Territorial expansion: The acquisition of firearms through trade allowed them to expand their territories. This was particularly true of the Woodland Cree, driving other tribes further west and north.
Canadian Heroes: Individual First Nations members gained respect by serving as essential North-West Mounted Police scouts. [1] By the Klondike Gold Rush era (1890’s), each scout was ranked as a Special Constable (S/Cst.). Crees Louis Cardinal and Esau George, as well as Métis Charlie Stewart, are still remembered as heroes of the Far North. Later, Crees served as valorous members of the Canadian Army in the two World Wars.
For more, see CANADIAN MOUNTIES: Creation & History Royal Mounted Police.
Confinement and Cultural Suppression
Indian Reserves: The Canadian government relocated the First Nations to reserves. And used other policies to control and constrain their traditional economy and governance.
Suppressing culture: Policies aimed at dismantling Indigenous culture included the removal of children to residential schools for assimilation.
Cultural shift: The introduction of compulsory school attendance, permanent housing, and the decline of the fur trade also marked significant changes to the traditional Indigenous way of life in the late 19th Century and through the 20th. Relocation fragmented families and communities, leading to a loss of the collective knowledge and spiritual connection that supported traditional life.
Contemporary Endeavours
Large population: The Cree remain the most populous Indigenous nation in Canada, with a population estimated to be between 300,000 and 400,000 people.
Self-determination: The Cree are actively pursuing self-determination to regain control over their governance and cultural practices.
Cultural revitalization: This includes creating programs to teach Nehiyawak language, customs and traditions to younger generations. As well as advocating for supportive policies. Today they work as political leaders, artists and business entrepreneurs. Modern Cree arts and crafts include traditional items like beaded moccasins, mukluks, and ribbon skirts. Alongside contemporary forms like paintings and jewelry that often incorporate traditional symbolism and techniques into new formats.
[1] The North-West Mounted Police were initially created by John A MacDonald to protect the First Nations from white whiskey traders’ incursions. The Mounties’ Motto “Maintain the Right” is of Biblical origin: Psalm 82:3.
Psalm 82:3 commanded judges, who took their oaths before God, to act justly and protect the vulnerable. “Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.” It called for defending the rights of the undefended. It emphasized the importance of social justice and maintaining their rights in the legal system. Do the Right Thing, eh?
SOURCE: From early Personal study to Google AI.
TAGS: Dene Cree designs, Little Red River Cree Nation, Poundmaker Cree Nation, Indigenous Canada, Indigenous people, Woodland Cree, Nehiyawak, Tim Whiskeychan.
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